Rayne Takao with her work "Light Breaking Upon the Fishes of Men", a sculpture made of aluminium cans. It is part of the annual Gisborne Artists, Potters and Photographers exhibition running at Tairāwhiti Museum.
Rayne Takao with her work "Light Breaking Upon the Fishes of Men", a sculpture made of aluminium cans. It is part of the annual Gisborne Artists, Potters and Photographers exhibition running at Tairāwhiti Museum.
Rayne Takao and Jarrod Seaton are two new artists whose works have been selected for the annual exhibition of Gisborne Artists, Potters and Photographers running at Tairāwhiti Museum.
Gisborne artist Tony Ogle selected the works from submissions made by members of Gisborne Artists’ Society.
“The submitted artworks were all consideredindependently for their merit,” Ogle said.
In deciding the successful works, Ogle evaluated “technical proficiency, along with the inherent formal elements”.
He said there were many works that combined those and sustained his attention and interest.
She made it using cans collected from the Whakatāne recycling transfer station and the Gisborne Cosmopolitan Club and RSA.
The Christchurch-born artist has only recently started doing art after spending many years homeschooling her six children.
She has lived in Tairāwhiti for 32 years.
“I found I had more time on my hands, so I started experimenting and making my work,” she said.
“Torri [Stewart, chair of Gisborne Artists’ Society] put me in touch with Teressa Matthews [artist], who has given me a lot of support and guidance,” she said.
Takao has always been interested in recycling and repurposing things – from furniture to waste – and said she was inspired by the colours of aluminium cans.
Light Breaking upon the Fishes of Men began with a mesh frame which she shaped into undulating waves. She then spent three months weaving the cans, which she had cut into strips using heavy-duty scissors.
“I then coated it with a UV protective spray and a resin to make sure it retains its colour.”
Jarrod Seaton is one of the new artists exhibiting at the annual Gisborne Artists, Potters and Photographers exhibition. Photo / Kim Parkinson
Seaton is another Gisborne artist exhibiting for the first time. He has four paintings in the exhibition, which he created using acrylic, enamel, graphite and lacquer.
Seaton said he loved the chemistry of paint and used gold dust in the works, which he painted in batches.
Painting and music are creative outlets he is able to devote more time to now that his children are getting older.
Originally from Auckland, he teaches at Campion College and is also a tutor at The Band School.
Seaton said he was pleasantly surprised to learn he had four works chosen for the exhibition.
Artist and committee member Veronika Lambert, who has two oil paintings in the exhibition, said Gisborne Artists’ Society was in good health.
It has 70 members and runs regular workshops for them at Lysnar House next to the museum.
“We’ve got a very passionate chairperson [Torri Stewart], who is a doer, and we’re currently building a website where our members will be able to display their work and link to their own websites or Instagram accounts.”
